Crickhowell Castle Ruins

It was the wife's day off. With no dogs and nothing planned, other than she wanted her fringe cut we drove to Pontypool for her usuual hairdresser to do it.

Afterwards we decided to visit Abergavenny town centre for a walk and a cuppa. There was still quite a bit of the afternoon left with lovely sunshine, so with sunroof open, we drove along the Brecon road into Crickhowell town. It's a lovely place for a visit.

The blip photo shows the castle in the centre of the town. A bit of history of the castle is here for those interested.......

Crickhowell Castle was initially a motte and bailey castle built from 1121, probably by Robert Turberville of the family of Norman Lords.

The castle was refortified in stone from 1242 when Sybil Turberville a Turberville heiress married Sir Grimbold Pauncefote. It was walled with substantial stone towers and a large bailey, a home castle befitting an important Royal ally in Wales.

Hugh Turberville held the castle from 1273. He was Seneschal of Gascony whose services were called upon by King Edward I to train Welsh men-at-arms and transform the royal levy into a disciplined medieval army capable of conquering Wales. Hugh led both cavalry and 6,000 infantry recruited in the Welsh Marches for King Edward's forces. He fought against Rhys ap Maredudd during his rising from 1287 to 1291. He died in 1293.

The castle was in the hands of the powerful Mortimer family dynasty of Marcher Lords and in the 14th century and declined as a smaller holding within a large portfolio of lands, titles and larger castles.

On the Royal command of new King King Henry IV in 1400, it was again refortified, this time by Sir John Pauncefote, great grandson of Sir Grimbold, in advance of the uprising led by Owain Glyndŵr to 1412. The castle was largely destroyed in the early 15th century by Owain Glyndŵr's forces who also attacked and burned Abergavenny town and other settlements in the area. The ruined stone double tower still stands on the Castle Green.